Chapter 14 - Merlin

To Merlin's relief, Arthur was awake and ready to leave by eight o'clock the following morning. Now that they were within reach of the Crystal Cave, Merlin found himself relatively intolerant of any potential delays.

However, his concern was unnecessary and they were out the door in very little time at all. Merlin led the way, and Arthur followed him without a word. The town that had sprung up around the Crystal Cave had thankfully left that portion of the woods untouched, and once they were under the cover of the trees, Merlin visibly relaxed.

"I can feel it now," he said softly. "The magic. It's in the air." His voice sounded happy, affected by the contact with a power he did not otherwise see anywhere else.

Arthur watched him closely, still wary about this plan. "How is it that this place hasn't been discovered, Merlin?" He asked quietly, not wishing to disturb the peace of the location.

"The Cave guards itself," was all Merlin would say on the matter. He was focused on some distant point, but the faint smile on his lips had not faded.

It was slow going through the woods, but eventually the two men found what they were looking for.

Merlin knew that to Arthur, it was merely the mouth of a cave. To Merlin, however, it was the source of his power and the reason he had been able to withstand the creeping madness of loneliness for so very long.

"I'm not sure what the etiquette is for non-magic people," he admitted to Arthur. "Can you stay out here for a moment? I won't be long."

Arthur nodded quickly, not all that eager to see the cave anyway, and promptly sat on a tree root. "I'll be here," he said casually.

Smiling at that, Merlin nodded once and took a deep breath before heading into the Cave.

Little had changed since the last time he had been here. There was still the faint glow the place had, as though magic seeped from every crevice in the rocks. He glanced automatically towards the last place he had seen his father, but Balinor did not materialize.

"Young warlock," a voice called to him with deep pleasure.

Turning quickly, Merlin was confronted by the head of Kilgarrah. The dragon was clearly smiling at him, and appeared to have part of his neck and his head sticking out of the cave wall. His appearance was similarly ethereal to that of Balinor's from so long ago, his head having an almost bluish glow to it.

"Kilgarrah?" Merlin asked, his voice hushed. He stretched out a hand to the dragon before letting it drop.

"Indeed, Merlin, it is I. It is good to see you again." The dragon's voice rang with sincerity.

Merlin merely nodded at that. "I might have known you would appear to guide me," he commented. "It was your prophecy that gave me hope for Arthur's return in the first place. Although, I must apologize for doubting your words. Until he emerged from the lake, I had indeed wondered if I would ever see him again."

"Fret not, young warlock," Kilgarrah said, amused. "Such a prophecy as resurrection is not to be swallowed lightly. Indeed, you may well find my new words for you to be even more difficult to grasp."

Merlin took a deep breath to steel himself, then let it out slowly. "I'm ready," he said firmly.

"Very well," the dragon breathed, his warm breath bathing Merlin's face, even though the dragon was not truly there in corporeal presence. "Much as you may doubt this, your largest trials are yet ahead of you. Perhaps you wonder why I still call you young? It is not your appearance as in the days of Camelot. Rather, it is the knowledge that you will live for many more days yet to come. These coming days will not be easy, Merlin."

With a sigh, Merlin nodded. "If I had been destined to live an easy life, I would never have been paired with Arthur," he said wryly.

A chuckle came from the dragon, accompanied by a bob of his head. "Agreed. Now, heed my words. Arthur is to rule England, and not in the way the monarchy currently exists. The people will make him their king, rising up to allow him claim to his throne. However, this will not occur without victory over your most dangerous of foes."

Merlin's brow furrowed. "I have no foes left," he reminded Kilgarrah. "Only those who follow Morgana in secret, but they are lost without a leader, and can be easily vanquished should that be required of me."

"It is not the followers you must fear, young warlock, it is their leader," Kilgarrah said pointedly.

There was a pause before Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Morgana is returning?" He asked flatly.

"It is not for me to reveal all, Merlin," Kilgarrah chastised. "I am merely to inform you of Arthur's future as king once more, the return of your greatest foe with the power of necromancy in hand, and the resurrection of Arthur's people."

Merlin's head snapped up from the ground, where he had found a pebble to stare at. "Resurrection?" He repeated. "Of who?"

"You are only one piece of the puzzle that makes Arthur Pendragon complete, young warlock. For the king of Camelot to rule over England, he must be complete once more." Kilgarrah bowed his head slightly, and began to drift back towards the cave wall.

Merlin realized a beat late that the dragon was leaving him, and he stretched out a hand to stay his departure, but let it drop again. "Thank you for your help, old friend," he said solemnly.

"It was my honor, Merlin," Kilgarrah replied before fading away entirely.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin dropped to his knees on the floor of the Cave. There were so many ramifications to be considered, and he was nowhere near ready to face Arthur yet. What could all of that mean?

England. Arthur would rule England. That part, at least, had been abundantly clear.

Morgana. Morgana was coming back. There was little else that "his greatest of foes" could possibly mean. Although, Kilgarrah had made special reference to the power of necromancy. Perhaps Morgana was the least of his worries. If she began to resurrect the dead as she had in Camelot, Merlin could be faced with far worse problems.

The final bit about Arthur as a puzzle was the most complex part of the prophecy to Merlin. He knew the whole bit about he and Arthur being two sides of the same coin, but the puzzle analogy was new. When he thought about it though, he understood what Kilgarrah had meant. As king, Arthur had drawn strength from his friendship with Merlin and Merlin's protection, though he had not known of the latter, but from others as well. Gwen, Gaius, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, and others had all been a part of Arthur's effectiveness as king. He was complete because of those around him.

The ramifications of this thought process were abundantly clear to Merlin, but he resolved not to reveal this epiphany to his best friend. If his interpretation proved to be wrong, the consequences of shattered hope could be far more devastating than any prospective war. Even Merlin could already feel the strain of hope on his own heart.

No, Arthur could not know of this possibility, not until Merlin was certain.